Improvement in piston-packings



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIeE JAMES BROUGHTON, OF LAMBERTSVILLE, NEWT JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN PISTON-.PACKINGS Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,766, dated October 16, 1866.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES BaoUGr-ITON, of Lambertsville, Hunterdon county, State of N ew Jersey, have invented a new and Improved PistorrPacking; and .l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speeitication, in which- Figure 1 represents a horizontal section of this invention. Fig. 2 is atransverse section ofthe same.

Similar letters of reference vindicate like parts.

This invention relates to a piston which is provided with two sets of packingrings, sep arated from each other by a partition-plate, and each provided with a separate steam-channel and with a separate set of springs. The steam-ehannels are formed in the outer portions of T-shaped keys insulated behind the joints of the packing-rings, and through these channels steam is admitted behind the rings, the division-plate preventing` said steam from passing round to the exhaust side ofthe piston.

The springs are inserted in suitable recesses, one set in the division-plate and the other in the spider or body of the piston, and they serve to sustain the packing-rings when the same are relieved from the pressure of the steam on their inner surfaces.

A represents the spider or body of my piston, which is provided with a long hub, B, to reverse thepiston-rod G. On this hub are itted the division-plate D andthe follower F, and suitable screws a, which pass through the follower and are tapped into the spider, fasten the whole together.

The packing of my piston is effected by two sets of packing-rings, b b', which are situated one set between the piston-head and the division-plate and the other set between said division-plate and the follower. These rings are made of simple strips of brass or other suitable material, a-nd they are cut open, so that they can accommodate themselves to the inner surface ofthe cylinder, these joints being closed by T-shaped keys o. The heads of these keys tit nicely in between the follower' and the division-plate and between said division-plate and the piston-head, and they are provided with grooves cl in their outer parts, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

To these grooves access is had through channels between the ends of the rings and the shanks of the keys, so that steam is admitted behind the rings. The Shanks of the keys and the divisionplate prevent the steam from passing from the steam to the exhaust side of the piston, so that only one set of packingrings is acted on by the steam at a time, and said rings are held in close contact with the inner circumference ofthe cylinder.

Springs fsustain the rings when the steam does not act on the same, and prevent them from falling in when the steam is shut off. These springs are situated in recesses g formed in the division-plate D, and also in the spider A, as shown, and by these recesses they are securely held in position and their action is uniform.

The pistonpackin g is cheap and sim ple, and readily kept in order, and itis particularlyintended for the pistons of locomotive-engines, although it is also applicable to pistons of stationary or of marine engines.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The arrangement of the body A, hub B, division-plate D, follower E, rings b b', grooved T-shaped keys c, and sprin gs fin the'recesses g, combined and operating in the manner and for the purpose herein specified.

2. The grooves d in the keys c, which close the joints of the packingiings, for the purA pose set forth.

JAMES BBOUGHTON. Witnesses:

HIEAM HUGHES, SAMUEL GREEN. 

